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Sunday, May 31, 2020

Kiyokawa Crawford Search

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Craw’s Corner is always brought to you by Kiyokawa Crawford LLC.

A brand new division has been formed at Kiyokawa Crawford LLC and it is called Kiyokawa Crawford Search. The name is perfect, as whether you are an employee or you are an employer,, we will lead the SEARCH for your future place of employment or future employee.

Our team cares, we always want the best and we will assure happiness in the end.

No obligation at all, contact at kiyokawacrawford@gmail.com and we will get you started.

Thank you,

Gregory Crawford, COO Kiyokawa Crawford LLC

Saturday, May 30, 2020

“The Kiyokawa Crawford 26”

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Lots of preparation, homework and late nights, but it is all worth it. “The Kiyokawa Crawford 26” is here and here to stay.

What is it ? The Kiyokawa Crawford 26 was developed to help people succeed and become leaders. And it will help you no matter what the subject, be it professionally or personally.

Yes cost is important and we have tailored this program to fit your budget whether you are a business, group or individual. This truly is an opportunity not to pass on.

Finally, we have an individual who is both our Chief Strategist and Senior Advisor who made a career out of teaching people to be successful and leaders, he is Coach Dave Rice.

To find out more at no obligation, please email kiyokawacrawford@gmail.com and response will
come within 24 hours.

Friday, May 29, 2020

The Aftermath Of A Sports Sabbatical

Will only the hard-core fan return?


By Harry Cummins


     Several years ago, in order to ensure the safety of our neighborhood, a key overpass linking us to the West was shut down for emergency reconstruction.

     Out of necessity, all traffic ceased and was diverted to the East.  For many, it opened a whole new landscape for local residents.

     We were now exposed to the verities of a wider world.  Suddenly, we found meaningful discovery in another direction.  Ultimately, many found a more satisfying utilization of shopping and entertainment resources.  How we spent our time had been critically reshaped.

     With the extended Western world sabbatical from spectator sports now entering its fourth month, the migratory patterns of sports fans could be permanently altered as well.

     Once the overpass project was completed in our neighborhood, one of the ultimate winners was a nutritional enterprise appropriately named...New Seasons.

     Possibility in the politics of movement.

   

   

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Ticket Prices Based On ???

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Fans are going to slow to comeback to sporting events in person.

How about a littl creativity. Charge the price on the basis if home team wins or loses. It would for sure eliminate ties.

More important, it would create interest. Technology would allow payment after the game and for season ticket holders at end of year, a credit or for winner you pay extra.

I like it.

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

What To Cut or NO Cuts

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

When it comes to sports in college and universities, we all know it is huge business, especially on D-1 level.

Administrations are in a precarious position at present and will be for long time when it comes to budgeting and beyond.

Most schools at present have said they do not plan to eliminate sports. We will see, as some have. One danger of eliminating a sport is that many students in sports outside of basketball and football are not on full scholarship, thus they do contribute mightily to the school’s bottom line.

Obviously the whole key here is having a full season and getting some attendance. Even a bigger key is saving lives and making it safe for everyone.

We often forget the impact sports has on the economy and for many how much extra it brings into ones financial picture. It will return, but how soon is anyone’s guess, I think we all know that.

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

A Big Move Paid Big Dividends

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Some said it was foolish, some said it was a big gamble and many now have called it brilliant.

The two biggest home improvement companies in United States are Home Depot and Lowe’s, Home Depot actually the bigger of two.

Lowe’s decided to aggressively advertise during this pandemic and Home Depot pulled back. The results: So far in 2020 Lowe’s showing 11 percent growth, Home Depot 5 percent.

Lowe’s was all in supporting the NFL Draft. Watch as sports return, advertisers flocking to sports. It will pay dividends, it always does when it comes to marketing aggressively.

Monday, May 25, 2020

“ The Kiyokawa Crawford 26”

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

3 years in the making and we are now ready to roll. “The Kiyokawa Crawford 26” is here. A unique way to teach leadership and success at its highest level.

We at Kiyokawa Crawford LLC are also pleased to announce Coach Dave Rice will be the Chief
Strategist and Senior Advisor for “The Kiyokawa Crawford 26”. Coach Rice will advise and teach the many platforms of “The Kiyokawa Crawford 26”.

To find out more , please contact us at kiyokawacrawford@gmail.com. We want this to be affordable for all individuals, groups and corporations. We look forward to hearing from you.

Memorial Day

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Happy Memorial Day and please always respect its meaning. Thank you.



Saturday, May 23, 2020

Biden Greets the Chiefs


Since the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t have the chance to visit the White House we’ll pretend they eventually get that chance but let’s have fun and think how Joe Biden would welcome the Chiefs.

Joe:  “It is my honor to welcome to the Rose Garden the 2020 Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Kings!”
Lackey:  “It is the Kansas City Chiefs not the Kansas City Kings!”
Joe:  “Don’t tell me I’m wrong I was just talking to Sam Lacey in the Blue Room bringing up our days of finishing 1st and 2nd in our law school graduation class!”
Lackey: “Well I’m sorry sir but the Kansas City Kings are an NBA team that moved to Sacramento and have never won a championship”.
Joe: “Don’t give me that bull, facts should never get in the way of a great story. Let’s talk about the great comeback they had scoring 21 points in the 4th quarter to win the Super Bowl.   When George Brett hit that 3 run homer and Freddie Patek  turned that spectacular double play I practically leapt from my wheelchair and applauded.  And when Dan Quisenberry closed it out I told myself that team has heart!”
Lackey:    “That was the Kansas City Royals , a baseball team, not the Chiefs!”
Joe: “The Royals?  I told you to tell Harry and Meghan they were invited.  Hell we are paying  a million dollars a day to protect them so they better come!”.
Lackey:  “Never mind Joe, let me introduce  you to the Chiefs Super Bowl winning coach Andy Reid”.
Andy: “It is truly an honor you invited us to the White House to celebrate our Super Bowl win”.
Joe: “Me and Randy Reid go back a long ways.  He was coaching the Delaware Green Hens to multiple championships  during my early days as a Senator from Delaware.  I even remember when he was that big fella on the early days of Monday Night football in that punt, pass, and kick competition.  During that time when I was in California running the Black Panthers with my best buddy Bobby Seale.   
Andy: “You’re just being modest as usual Joe, I admire such a hard working family man like yourself”.
Joe: “Speaking of families how is your son Garrett doing?”
Andy:  “Unfortunately Joe Garrett is no longer with us”
Joe: “You mean that dog faced pony soldier Trump just killed him with the Covid?  Once this Covid is over Randy I am raising your taxes and am going to get Schiff to charge Trump with murder!”
Lackey: “Let’s move on Joe, I would like you to meet Super Bowl winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes”
Patrick:  “It is an honor to meet you sir”
Joe:  “Patrick you are one talented kid, firstly how difficult was it to beat out Lenny Dawson for the job?”
Patrick: “Well sir Lenny was the QB for the Chiefs over 50 years ago, I have been the starter for the last 2 years”
Joe:  “I have to admit Patrick I did make a big bet on the Super Bowl concerning you.  I bet that you would throw for over 5,000 yards in the game.  I thought it was a sure thing and bet $500,000 and was wondering why my son Hunter decided to book the bet himself”

Patrick:  “You are one funny dude Mr. Biden”
Joe:  “By the way Patrick did I only get half a vote from you?  HAHAHAHAHA!!!  You know if you didn’t vote for me you aren’t black!  I guess that means I only got your Dad’s vote!  HAHAHAHAHA!!!
Patrick ”You can eat shit Joe!”
Joe:  “I told you I can talk trash with the best of em!”
Lackey:  “Joe let’s meet the rest of the team”
Joe:  “Looking at this group I guarantee you I got a lot of votes!  You make sure in the future that we will never invite an NHL team, damn white illegals from Canada and Europe!”
Lackey:  “Joe, please meet all pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill”
Tyreek:  “It is an honor to meet your sir”
Joe:  “You know Tyrone I remember watching you play some unbelievable football for the Crimson Tide and your great coach Dick Saban”
Tyreek:  “Well sir I actually played at West Alabama never played for the Crimson Tide or Coach Saban”
Joe:  “West Alabama, that reminds me of my days of Freedom Riding and me leading the Civil Rights protesting in the South.  Do you remember the time I went right up to George Wallace and bitch slapped him right in the middle of the Capitol Building?  I single handedly changed all of the segregation laws in the South”
Lackey:  “Please meet the Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker”
Harrison:  “It is an honor to meet you sir”
Joe:  “Harrison I remember your Daddy Dick Butkus being just a ferocious linebacker for the Chicago Bears, he was something else!”
Lackey: “His last name is Butker not Butkus”
Joe: “Don’t lie to me, I know I am right!  I’ve been watching the NFL for the last 500 years!  Hell I taught Bill Walsh the West Coast Offense and the Buddy Ryan 46 defense”
Lackey:  “Please meet the owner of the Chiefs Clark Hunt.  His Dad was one of the founding members of the AFL”
Clark:  “It is an honor to be here sir”
Joe:  “Hello Clark, I remember the old days of the AFL.  I had quite a few runs in with Jimmy Hoffa and the AFL.  Myself and Bobby Kennedy single handedly took down all of the gangsters in organized labor and I took out Hoffa myself”
Lackey:  “No Joe, not the American Federation of Labor, the American Football League”
Joe:  “The American Football League?  There was once 2 different football leagues?  Did the Blue Hens ever win a championship in the AFL?  I remember as a youngster my Daddy & I driving 800 miles to the Rubber Bowl in Akron and watching the AFL.  Besides the AFL I won 2 Soap Box Derby’s in Akron and was given a key to the city”
Lackey:  “Finally to wrap up our wonderful ceremony is the Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell”
Roger: “Nice to see you again Joe, I guess I now win the award for the biggest phony”
Joe:  “You’re damn right Roger, I am regarded as super cool and the young people love me!”
Roger:  “You are funny guy Joe, maybe one day you will make $40 million a year”
Joe:  “Listen Goodell, your league will get zero funding from the government if you don’t change the Rooney Rule to the Biden rule.  The Biden rule is that the league has to be 100% black by September 1st.  If the NFL is not 100% black by September 1st I will personally see to it that you and that ultra white m’fer Tom Brady serve jail time!”
Roger:  “Please no Joe, I love the NFL, will 50% off on a PSL do the trick?”
Joe:  “Well you know me Roger, I would never shake down anyone for any favors.  Being a lifelong politician I have never lied about anything.  We have a deal Roger!  Can I get a PSL for Hunter as well?
Roger:  “No problem, I can even possibly get Hunter a job as offensive coordinator for the Jets!”
Lackey:  “That will conclude our Ceremony, anyone wanting to give their Super Bowl ring to Mr Putin please come see me”

The Standard Will Be????

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

For years now law enforcement agencies have been preaching “showroom clean”, when it comes to preventing a thief breaking into your car. Numerous studies have proved as a deterrent that works.

Taking it up several notches, what will be the standard for sanitizing stadiums and arenas as we move out of this pandemic? Of course all the modern venues nowadays are much more than just a place to watch a game, many are the equivalent of little cities with all the amenities.

One thing for sure, you will not see the condiments sitting out on table. More important, you will not see dirty restrooms. The most important person in the whole place is going to be the cleaner, which we all should have respected long before the pandemic.

So in my mind, the new slogan for stadiums and arenas, should be, “hospital clean”. Since I work in one, I know, ours is spotless, as it should be and going forward so should stadiums and arenas.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Please, Never Quit

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

It an old cliche, but for many, a brand new thought, NEVER QUIT.

When you quit, not many really care and the only one that suffers is YOU. Think about it hard please.

It has been 3 years in the making, but coming real soon, “Kiyokawa Crawford Leadership & Success”. It is a program and path that everyone will admire and appreciate. Even better, the pricing is as unique as the program itself. Once again, coming soon.

Thank you, Gregory Crawford.

Reach out, kiyokawacrawford@gmail.com

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Tagg Bozied - The Birth Of A Bobblehead


By Harry Cummins

     As most of us have come to realize, life is given to bizarre and hair-trigger shifts in fortune.

     Least I ever forget and begin to celebrate a personal triumph to loudly, I need only glance at the bobblehead doll that rests on my desk. It is the likeness of a somewhat obscure baseball player named Tagg Bozied.

     Bozied was a great collegiate player in 1999, when he won the West Coast Conference triple crown playing for the University of San Francisco.  He hit .412 for the Dons that season, along with 30 home runs.  He led all of NCAA D-1 baseball with a .936 slugging percentage. He earned a spot on the USA national team and still remains the WCC record holder with 60 career home runs.

    Represented by the iconic sports agent Scott Boras, Bozied was a third-round pick in 2001 by the San Diego Padres... and then proceeded to play 11 seasons in the minors.  He never realized a single at-bat in the major leagues.  Many never knew his name.

     Yet, his bobblehead adorns my cluttered desk, sitting deservedly next to the great 'Mr. Padre' himself, Tony Gwynn.

     There is often a myriad  of reasons why a gifted performer never reaches the pinnacle of his chosen profession.  If he so elected, Tagg Bozied could perhaps point to a 2004 July night in NW Portland, Oregon as the pivotal moment in his career. The night everything changed while wearing the uniform of the Portland Beavers.

     I had planned a speedy exit from the Pacific Coast League game that night, walking to the left field gates of PGE Park in the 9th inning to catch the MAX train downtown.  The Beavers trailed Tacoma 5-4 awaiting their final turn at bat.

     Having watched too many desultory Portland defeats in the past, I considered beating the crowd and leaving before the Beavers came to bat.  I decided to stay as Portland begin to collect base runners..until they had loaded the bases... and up stepped Tagg Bozied, who was tearing up the PCL and on the doorstep of a major league call-up.

     Bozied proceeded to smash that most rare and dramatic of baseball home runs, a walk-off grand slam deep over my head, a tape measure blast into the left field seats. It was his 16th HR of the season.  I was glad I had stayed to see it, and as he rounded the bases, I watched his jubilant teammates gather at home plate for a wild celebration.

     As Bozied approached home, in a hero's baseball ritual, he leaped for joy into the arms of his waiting teammates.  Suddenly, the mob at home plate began to part like the Red Sea.

     Bozied had felt his left knee collapse before landing on the plate.  He had blacked out as teammates were hitting his helmet and hugging him in joy.  When he quickly came to, he glanced down to see his kneecap pushed high up into his quadriceps.

     The Beavers first baseman had severely ruptured his patella tendon and was loaded onto a stretcher and placed in an ambulance, headed to a nearby hospital.  He was never again the same player, tho he kicked around the minors for many more seasons.

     Tagg Bozied had gone from hitting a walk-off grand slam home run to landing in the back of an ambulance. To this day, it remains the most bizarre thing I have ever witnessed on a baseball field.

     Bozied mustered one final season of greatness in 2010.  Playing for Reading of the Eastern League (AA), he hit .315 with 27 home runs in 104 games.  Failing to get a call to the majors, at age 31, Bozied retired at the end of the following season.

     A month after that  season-ending injury in Portland, the team announced it was paying tribute to it's shelved slugger with a "Tagg Bozied Bobblehead Night"

     For his part in agreeing to the promotion, Bozied was given 100 of the one-of-a-kind collectible. I waited in a long line that night to get mine.

     Nearly every day since, I have flicked the bill on Bozied's plastic cap with my finger, watching his bespectacled head bobble up... then quickly dart down. A bat in his hands, he still swings!

     An every-day metaphor hard to miss.


   
   

   

Information Overload

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Are you keeping up with all the coronavirus info? If you are, you are better than most.

6 feet is not far enough, you need to be 20 feet for correct social distancing. This virus thrives in cold weather, more than hot. The coronavirus can survive on surfaces up to 3 weeks. If you drink 10 glasses of water per day you will not get the virus,

You get the picture from above, you all are intelligent people. At this point confusion is the norm and no one knows what to believe.

So this I would suggest. Wash your hands with lukewarm water and soap often. Out in public wear a mask and pay attention to confusion, cause at least one person in the group will be correct.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

New Writers Wanted

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Want to write for Craw’s Corner? Send me an email, crawscorner@gmail.com . Sports is going to come back big time and we would love to welcome you here as contributors. Yes I listen to what you want and we will bring it to you.

Look forward to hearing from you.


Sunday, May 17, 2020

The Immortal Life Of A Line-Drive



By Harry Cummins

     In 1962, I temporarily went AWOL from a checkered college career in order to attend the entire Bay Area portion of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees.   What sane lad could ever choose academics over such a higher form of education?

     There I was, sitting in Seat 3, Row 3, Section 28 of a wind-blown Candlestick Park, my heart at gale-force as I watched Willie McCovey step into the batters box to face the Yankee righthander Ralph Terry.  To this day, that crucial confrontation still remains as the most momentous at-bat I would ever witness on a baseball field. Thousands of games later, nothing has come close.

     McCovey, the future Hall-of-Famer and one of the most feared sluggers in the game, was on the verge of bringing the frenzied city of San Francisco its first World Series championship.  It was the chips down Game 7 and the Giants were trailing the Yankees 1-0 in the bottom of the 9th. There were two outs but the Giants had the tying and winning runs in scoring position thanks to a Willie Mays double to right. 

     Terry was obviously tiring.  He had won more games (23) than any other American League pitcher in 1962. He entered the 9th inning shutting out the Giants on just 2 hits, one of them by McCovey, who had laced a two-out triple off him in his last at-bat.  In Game 2 of the Series, McCovey had also smashed a majestic HR off Terry in a 2-0 Giant win.  McCovey "had his number" as they liked to say in those days.

     If that wasn't enough to think about, Terry had to be also pondering the 7th game of the World Series just 2 years earlier, when he coughed-up a game-winning, walk-off home run to Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates.  With Orlando Cepeda in the on-deck circle, Terry elected to pitch to McCovey.

     The Giants 6'4" first baseman swung at the first pitch from Terry and pulled a deep foul ball to right.  Some 40,000 + fans in attendance shared a collective deep breath while Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson moved instinctively a few feet to his left.

     On Terry's next offering, his final pitch of the game, Willie McCovey ripped what he would later describe as the hardest line drive he would ever hit in his storied 22-year career.  McCovey would dash out of the box toward first and his place in baseball history.  He had brought a capacity stadium to its feet with a crack of the bat.

     The baseball, however, burned deep into the chest-high glove of a perfectly positioned Richardson.  From anticipation to agony... in one fateful second for Giants fandom.  The shared grief was palpable. An elderly lady from her seat in the row directly behind me, leaned forward and we shared a consolatory embrace that remains seared into my scrapbook of tender encounters with perfect strangers.

     There are surely such dreams and disappointments that unite us all.  Moments you could never describe on the back of a baseball card.

 
  Life's line-drives.........
 suspended forever in the firmament of 'what-if'.

                                             
                                                                       *****








hcummins@aol.com

   

   

   

Saturday, May 16, 2020

What Gets Saved and Cut

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

With the pandemic economic crunch, it goes without saying that college athletics will get leaner and hopefully not meaner.

Thursday Bowling Green announced that they are eliminating their baseball program. No estimated cost of the savings.

Yesterday the MAC Conference announced that its football teams when having a home game will no longer stay in local hotel the night before. Nobody has ever been able to explain the benefits of this to me in the past.

Of course there is waste in college athletics and in some cases, cuts will not even come close to hurting programs.

The well run will survive and the not so well run will find new leadership. Keep your eye on the ball literally or sun will go down.


Friday, May 15, 2020

Hiring More Crucial Than Ever

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

As we move forward and we will have to move forward, HIRING will never be more crucial.

Adjust and adapt will become huge buzzwords.

We at Kiyokawa Crawford LLC, have taken a big step forward. We have created a new division in our company Kiyokawa Crawford Search.

If you are an employee we can help you find employment. We can also help any employer find a great employee. That is why it is important we have SEARCH in the name.

Our team is great and let me introduce them.

Gordon Kiyokawa— President

Paula Field —- Executive Vice President

Bob Rathbun—- Senior Vice President Talent

John Crawford—- Secretary

Ron Schwartz—— VP Quality Control

Gregory Crawford—— Chief Strategist

We can handle a lot, with precision expertise, that includes contracts, highest level background checks and the hard work it takes to get things done.

We are excited to start on many levels including the strong background of Bob Rathbun in the media.

All responses will be answered within 24 hours, 503-407-8255 or even better kiyokawacrawford@gmail.com

Thank you, “The Sky Is The Limit”.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

It IS Easy To Get Confused

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Science should always win OUT. Sadly politics often wins out on most cases. In this case, winning is not always good.

It is easy to get confused these days, even to so many that it is hard to remember at times what day it is.

When it comes to sports as I often say the creativity is usually awesome, from play calling to fan experience, sports is often a true leader. Sports when you think about it in the United States shut down the country and it may very well lead the way in opening it back up.

Here are a couple of good ideas I have heard lately when it comes to sports.

In my home state of Oregon, some high school baseball coaches are churning the idea of playing spring sports in fall and moving fall sports to spring. Just for one year I like it, as do others.

When it comes to amateur basketball, on many levels the idea has been talked about to start right after Christmas and for one year play only league games. A great idea many can live with.

But the best idea of all is not sports, it
is let’s quit kicking the can down the road and make some decisions on all subjects. And one more thing this pandemic has shown us, term limits for politicians should be automatic, not scattered.

See you tomorrow and later today time to read some great books.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Sitting It Out





From Journal Of A Solitude
by May Sarton






          It is all closed in, to a kind of still, intense waiting.
          Is this the key? Keep busy with survival. Imitate the trees.
          Learn to loose in order to recover...and remember
          that nothing stays the same for long,
          not even pain, psychic pain.
          Sit it out.
          Let it all pass.
          Let it all go.


1972

       

The Future of Sports Is Bright

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Nothing is more horrid than loss of life. It is on my mind continually what this pandemic has done to society.

Sports is also on my mind, in a completely different mode. In United States sports has been a $100 billion business per year and more important a great outlet for people from two years old to 112 years.

Sports is going to comeback, it will be better than ever. On professional side you need a great owner, the great owners will survive all of this economically, the weak owners will not and that is great for sports and its

fans.

It is also my opinion that fans when allowed will come back to stadiums and arenas much quicker than projected. Zoom is fine, but it can never be better than any live meeting. The same goes for sports obviously.

You will also see a much better production on the TV side and from radio. The United States is most creative country in the world and creative minds on video and listening will make the experience better than ever.

If you are a sports fan get your shades out, brightness will be here big time.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Another Casualty of COVID-19

This afternoon it was announced that American Legion Baseball in the state of Oregon has been canceled for the 2020 season.

Many of you are disappointed to hear this information. I am as well. I'm disappointed that many young men will not be able to show off their skills during the summer, as they were not able to play high school and, in some cases, college baseball in 2020 because of the canceling of all spring high school and collegiate sports due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision was made at the national level, which, after all was said and done, led Oregon to cancel the season.

Earlier the National American Legion baseball committee had canceled all of the regional tournaments, including the Northwest Regionals which was to have been held in Gillette, Wyoming and the American Legion World Series in Shelby, North Carolina. Both tournaments were scheduled for the month of August.

The Oregon American Legion Baseball state tournament was to have been held at Bill Gray Stadium at One Champion Car Wash Field (formerly Legion Field) on newly-installed field turf in Roseburg at the end of July.

However, the only alternative for players could be playing for their respective teams and play an independent schedule. There's a matter of liability insurance and these days, availability of stadiums to play their games at as many of the American Legion baseball teams in Oregon play its home games at high school and college baseball stadiums.

Where I live, the teams from Eugene, Springfield and Medford play home games at high school fields. Medford no longer has Harry & David Field as its team wasn't able to agree on a lease agreement. The defending Area 4 champion Eugene Challengers play at North Eugene High School's Swede Johnson Stadium, while the Springfield Timbers (formerly the Willamette Valley Titans) call Hamlin Middle School's field home (Springfield High School plays home games there during the spring). The six-time defending American Legion baseball state champion Medford Mustangs now call North Medford High School's Jim McAbee Field home.

It will be a tough summer without American Legion baseball. It's a great level of baseball that only a select few make the cut and get to participate in. It will also be a tough summer for the kids who may be too old to play next summer.

Many Legion baseball players later in their careers play college baseball. Some are or will be playing NCAA Division I baseball and American Legion baseball had helped them improve in their abilities to play a great game. We as fans will probably have to wait until 2021 to watch these talented players grow and perform at whatever the level they will continue their careers at.

Let's hope for a best case scenario to be able to watch some outstanding amateur summer baseball. But be prepared to sit this season out. Unfortunately.


Monday, May 11, 2020

Wake Up and Give Him Credit

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

When now retired Tim Finchem was the Commissioner of the PGA Tour I always thought he was best Commissioner in all of sports. After all he guided the Tour through the 3rd worst economic crisis  in United State and without the game’s biggest star of all time Tiger Woods, by continuing to increase revenue and making sponsors always happy..

Now moving into that number one spot has to be NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Yes the NFL has conduct issues which should never be taken lightly, but at same time the NFL as a whole is an unstoppable machine.

Goodell is the brains behind the success. His biggest attribute is that is something is not working, it gets changed for the better. Most leaders that fail have a big inability to adjust, it is that simple.

Wake up and give Roger Goodell credit. He deserves it as the KING of all Commissioners.

Mother's Day - The Day After

It's my hope that you enjoyed Mother's Day yesterday. I certainly did. My mother, Dolores, now lives in an assisted living facility in The Dalles. She seems to enjoy it there after having lived in Tillamook for close to 30 years, and has made several friends. She and I got to do a video chat yesterday for a few minutes, keeping our social distance 190 miles apart, the distance between my home in Eugene and where she lives. In typical "Mom" fashion, she wished me a "Merry Christmas," "Happy Halloween" and an early "Happy Father's Day." She still has that wry sense of humor. You'd have to know her to appreciate it.

Mom is 93 now and will be 94 in November. Her mother lived to be 108. Needless to say, there were many stories shared over the years, plus many memories.

Many of my friends' moms are no longer with us. I know you have the memories, the stories and the fun you probably had. I know that when my mother is called home, I'll have those wonderful stories and memories as well.

Moms are the best. Absolutely. The best.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Happy Mother’s Day

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Many of us like myself were so fortunate to have a great mother, who always stood by me or in front of me through thick and thin.

My mother was not  great sports fan, but she knew I was and it meant a lot to her that I was. We were far short of being a rich family, but my mother was rich in spirit, hard work and enthusiasm. She never in her entire life drove a car, her transportation mode was her legs or public transportation for most part. Of course by doing that she was always a big proponent of great rain gear and water proof head gear. Literally nothing stopped her.

Most of us have great mom’s stories. All I can say in conclusion I salute all mothers today and my story is a question. Shouldn’t everyday be Mother’s Day.

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Never, ever give up

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Yes, there isn’t a person on earth that at some point has not thought about giving up, no matter what the situation. Yes there are certain times in business you might have to give up and move on.

However when it comes to LIFE, never ever give up. When you give up no one loses except YOU.  When you don’t give up,
think about it, you WIN every time.

Start today, as matter of fact, start right now, never ever GIVE up. And there is huge difference between giving in and giving up.

Thank me later please and enjoy the flowers above.

Friday, May 8, 2020

I accept the challenge

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

I accept the challenge, care to join me.

The worst of situations and this is the worst, does often make things better. Who doesn’t want to get better at least I do. So I am going to:

1. Work even harder.

2. Help more people, a must.

3. Grow even more food to help the hungry.

4. Attract more birds and bees to the yard, so needed.

5. Add a few creative business ideas, some of best businesses in world started in the worst of times.

6. Make Craw’s Corner even better.

Let me know how you are joining me at crawscorner@gmail.com

The sky truly is the limit.

Thursday, May 7, 2020

It's a Sad Day

Oregon Governor Kate Brown held another press conference today. Part of me doesn't know whether to be sad or angry. I can, however, be very disappointed.

Please read this article from oregonlive.com...

https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/05/coronavirus-in-oregon-governor-kate-brown-lays-out-the-road-to-reopening-public-life.html?fbclid=IwAR0d5Ri6OG99w--aWh7W1iUyniYZTFUwZtCwNjVA2h1Rw7HzAhpAv2acPXs

And this article from 247 Sports...

https://247sports.com/college/oregon/Article/Oregon-Governor-Kate-Brown-September-sporting-events-COVID19-Oregon-Football-146908473/

Thoughts? I think you know mine.

A Hoop Fan's Forget-Me-Not

Two For The Show. It was an unforgettable night for teammates Zach Richardson and Justin Martin


By Harry Cummins

   
     November 10, 2018.  There may never be another basketball game quite like it!  It certainly deserves a preeminent place in the pantheon of small college basketball lore.

     On that noteworthy night in Portland, Oregon, the Multnomah University Lions hosted a free-wheeling 147-124 win over neighboring Pacific University.   By halftime, the Lions were shooting 65% and had amassed 89 points, the 3rd highest points ever recorded for a single half of basketball in NAIA history.

     The fun was just starting.  To paraphrase Jane Austin - "We were all in the middle before we knew what was really happening."

     Here, then, is a summation of the statistical smorgasbord that left all fans in attendance satiated:

 > Multnomah made 23 of their first 37 attempts from 3 point range, finishing the game with an NAIA record 38 3-pt baskets!

 > Lions teammates Zach Richardson and Justin Martin combined for 27 of those 38 3's.  Richardson, a freshman, converted 13 of 23 from long-range, while Martin, who would go on to lead the NAIA in scoring the next two seasons, made 14 of 28 from distance, at the time the second most single game made 3's in NAIA history. Martin also registered 9 assists on the night.

> Both Richardson and Martin scored an unfathomable 49 points each in the game, despite both exiting the game early.  Richardson departed with 2:41 left, while Martin headed to the bench with 1:05 remaining.   Two 50 point scorers on the same team in the same game.  Almost!!!

> Multnomah guard Briggs Young, who was leading the nation in assists coming into the game,padded his lead with 18 more assists on this historic night.

> Lions Senior forward Ben Grandle canned a corner 3 just .32 seconds into the game and then book-ended the scoring with his teams 38th and final 3 of the night with 3:23 left in the game.  The Lions would go scoreless the rest of the contest..  Grandle had 15 points and 13 rebounds on the night, his 4th "double-double" in his last 5 games.

>  Lost in the statistical onslaught, was the performance of Multnomah's Brett Blackstock.  His line for the night was perhaps the most impressive of all.  27 points. 7 three's. 7 assists. 6 rebounds. 4 blocked shots. 3 steals!

>  The two teams combined for 49 three-point baskets for the game, and 271 points, both all-time NAIA marks.

>  On December 13, 1983, in the highest scoring game in NBA history, Kiki Vandeweghe scored 51 points and Nuggets teammate Alex English added 47 in a contest that extended for 3 overtimes. It remains the highest combined point total (98) by teammates who both score over 40 points in the same game.  They each played 50 minutes in that game.  In their combined 98 point elite pairing, Zach Richardson played just 37 minutes. Justin Martin registered 39 minutes.

    The Multnomah, Pacific shoot-out of 2018 was the kind of game that brings fans of the sport back for more. Unfortunately, with Covid-19 still fast-breaking the globe, our arenas sit empty.   Zach Richardson awaits his junior season.  The rest of us wait for the sport's uncertain return as well.

     Until then, thanks for the memory!!
             

       


   

   

   

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Can Powerhouse Continue

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

There is no disputing that the National Football League is most powerful sports league in the world led by a great Commissioner in Roger Goodell.

Prior to the pandemic the projected revenues of NFL by 2027 were projected to be $25 billion.

If the NFL season is played without fans this year each team would lose $100 million. The Miami Dolphins have a plan in place to allow only 15,000 in the stands.

The NFL will be a leader in bringing back sports and the whole world will be watching and more than ever more will be watching from home.

Stay safe out there please, check on the elderly and neighbors.

Monday, May 4, 2020

There IS Sports to Report

Here in Eugene there is a nightly 30-minute sports report that airs on the local Fox TV affiliate, KLSR TV, branded as Oregon's Fox. It's "Oregon's Sports Report." Right now, the show is on an extended hiatus as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and there's nothing going on with professional, college, high school or any level of sports. The host is saying that when there's something to report, they'll be back on.

Today, there are sports stories to report. It may not be 30 minutes' worth, but these are worth noting.

In Oregon community college sports today, it was announced that Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay has made a couple of coaching moves. Trevor Hoppe, the men's basketball coach for the past 15 seasons, has stepped aside and will take over the school's men's and women's cross country program. Hoppe leaves the men's basketball program as the winningest coach in school history and the longest tenured men's basketball coach at SWOCC.

Taking over the men's basketball program is Riley Grandinetti, who had been the Associate Head Coach for the past five seasons. Grandinetti played for Hoppe from 2011-2013 and was a starting point guard for the Lakers. Grandinetti finished his collegiate playing career at Pacific University where he was a starting guard for the Boxers.

Next, former Marshall University pitcher Dan Straily, who prepped at Pendleton High School and later Thurston High School in Springfield, will be starting on the mound for the Lotte Giants, one of the South Korean professional teams as Opening Night is tonight (Monday). The 31-year-old Straily pitched for six Major League Baseball teams, most recently with the Baltimore Orioles.

Finally, the football world is mourning the passing of one of the all-time great National Football League coaches, Don Shula. Shula, as many of you know, is still the only NFL coach to coach a team to an undefeated regular and postseason as his Miami Dolphins went 17-0 and won the Super Bowl in 1972, defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7. Shula won 347 games in his NFL career. He was 90. God Bless You, Coach.

The night Mike Wallace cried!

I want to thank Greg Crawford for inviting me to contribute to Craw's Corner!! I have known Greg a long time and he is a superstar. Yes, we are all dealing with the Coronavirus in our own ways. I have been sequestered at home most of the time.
I was denied a chance to broadcast Oregon State Women's basketball games at the NCAA Tournament. I heart radio put me on unpaid furlough and NBC Sports Northwest put our TV show "Talkin Beavers"  on hold because the studio is closed down.
So, when Greg asked me to contribute I said  of course. While I am sitting here I want to thank Greg for being on the front lines battling Covid-19. Thank You Greg!

The Night Mike Wallace cried!

Mike Wallace - CBS News


I want to pay some respect to a giant of the TV News business Mike Wallace. I recently mentioned his name to a group of younger folks and was met with blank stares. I realized they had no idea who I was talking about.
Wallace was one of the original correspondents of the most well-known TV News show in broadcast history,  60 Minutes.  He worked for the program from its inception in 1968 through 2008. He passed away in 2012. I watched 60 Minutes every Sunday night  from the time of its debut and was also impressed with Wallace and the way he and his crews would chase a story. It didn't matter if it was an alleged crook or a world leader he treated them the same. He would interview both with no fear and would ask the tough questions.  I crossed paths with Mike Wallace twice. Both times were special and unique.

The first time was in Salem, Oregon in the spring of 1975. I had graduated from Linfield College the previous May and was in the middle of my first TV News job at KVDO-TV  Channel 3 in Salem, Oregon. KVDO  was a small independent TV station in Oregon's state capitol. My job description was pretty much everything. Anchor, reporter, photographer, editor and film processor. It was truly a perfect place to learn about the business of TV news. And Salem was a goldmine for political news. I had a chance to interview and get to know Oregon political heavyweights like Senators Wayne Morse, Bob Packwood, Mark Hatfield and Governor Tom McCall. McCall was a former TV newsman at KGW in Portland and was always welcoming to the media covering the statehouse.

McCall knew I was a one-man band and I was impressed with the way he would treat me the same as those big shots news folks from the Rose City. One day I was sitting in the newsroom at KVDO and got a phone call from a colleague at the capitol. He tipped me off to the fact that 60 Minutes was going to interview Governor McCall. The topics included the success of Oregon's Bottle Bill that he had promoted and attitude about visitors to the state of Oregon. You mightr remember a few years before in 1971 he had told Terry Drinkwater on the CBS Evening News, "Come visit us again and again. This is a state of excitement. But for heaven's sake, don't come here to live."

So, I picked up my converted Auricon film camera (16 millimeter) and headed to the Capitol building. When I arrived, McCall and Mike Wallace were chatting in his office. The door was open. The 60 Minutes crew was setting up their equipment for the interview. I stood outside the door and Governor McCall waived me in.  I had a chance to meet Wallace and his crew and they allowed me to film a fgw shots of the meeting for our newscast. The were aware having a 60 Minutes crew in Salem was a big deal. That night when I got home I called my parents and told them the story. Ace and Bette Callan who lived in Napa, California were pretty proud their son had rubbed shoulders with a broadcasting legend, even if it was just for a few minutes.

Fast forward to 1999. I was now a 25-year veteran of the broadcast business. IN 1981 after stops in Boise and Spokane I got a job in Seattle at KIRO-TV  as their first-ever feture Sports Reporter. It was the golden age in TV news and sports in Seattle and all heck was about to break loose because of the success of the Huskies in football, the Seahawks, the Sonics and eventually the Mariners.

In the early 90's I made a transition from TV to radio at KIRO. In 1992, Pete Gross, the legendary play-by play voice of the Seahawks passed away. He also was the morning sports guy and they offered me his position in 1995. (I had been filling in). By 1999, I was  reporting morning sports plus was part of the Seahawks broadcast team specializing in the pregame show and sidelines during the game. But as the AM sports director and both the Seahawks and Mariners were broadcast on the station I covered both.

IN 1999, I was very fortunate to cover the Major League Baseball game in Boston at Fenway Park.
It wasn't only the 70th all-star game but the TEAM OF THE CENTURY was going to be introduced before the game. To get a chance to go to Fenway Park for the first time in my life was exciting. Ken Griffey Junior was in the Home Run Derby so that was the perfect local angle for KIRO listeners. And thank you Ken for winning that Home Run Derby. That created even more excitement for the historic all-star game.
I remember so many things about my night at Fenway. First, sluggers Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were hitting moon shots over the Green Monster and beyond during batting practice. (of course now we know why those baseballs were traveling so far) During batting practice I went out onto Landsdowne Street behind the Green Monster and was amazed by the thousands of fans waiting for some of those moon shots to get a momento of the all-star game.
Earlier in the day, I had a chance to attend a Team of the Century reception and remember spending some time chatting with a childhood hero. Growing up in Napa, we were big Giant fans and I was able to talk to Juan Marichal. The "Dominican Dandy" was so generous with his time and looking around the room it was great to see Willie Stargel, Reggie Jackson and others.

When the pregame ceremony was about an hour away I thought it would be good to get to my seat. I mean Pete Rose was going to be introduced who was banned from the game because of gambling. I mean, I couldn't miss that!  He was given a one-day reprieve because he was part of the Team of the Century. I headed for my seat in the auxilary press area which was located just a few rows behind Pesky's pole in right field.
Fenway Park - Wikipedia


When I got to my seat it was already occupied by a reporter from a New Hampshire newspaper. I think it was the Union Leader. I asked him to move our of my seat but he was going nowhere. Not really wanting to push the point, I went to the Media Relations Director handing the all-star press corps. He said, "Don't worry about it, a seat in the press box behind home plate has opened up."

Now, what was a stroke of good luck. I followed him up to the classic baseball press box. My seat was in the first row. Ok, I rhought this is working out great! I sat down and the person on my right said, "CBS affiliate eh?" It was Mike Wallace! He shook my hand and we briefly chatted about the fact KIRO was a long-time CBS station. He introduced me to his friend and fellow newsman Morton Dean of ABC news who was also sitting in the first row. Dean also a well-known newsman and reporter.

All of a sudden as we waited for the pregame ceremony to begin Wallace was interviewing me about Seattle and the life of a sports reporter covering a game like the one we were attending. Then I flashed on our meeting in Salem back in 1975. I asked him if he rememberd his trip to Oregon. He smiled and then went on and on about Tom McCall and what a maverick politican he was.

During our chat , I learned that this was a special night for Wallace, He was born in 1918 in Brookline, Massachusetts and was a huge Red Sox fan growing up. As the ceremony began, all of us enjoyed seeing the legends of the game. Me the Giant fan was happy to see Marichal, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey being introduced. Every player on the list was at the game.

The most famous Boston player of all-tme is Ted Williams. He not only was part of this special night but he would be throwing out the first pitch. Williams was 80-years old at the time and in failing health. He came out on the field in a golf cart.  What I didn't realize until later was that Williams was Mike Wallace's childhood baseball hero. Suddenly, the tough guy newsman started to weep and actually collapsed in my arms. His producers and others scampered over to see what was wrong. I just held him and got him to sit down and he quickly regained his composure. He was fine but said he was just overcome by the emotion of the moment. He knew Williams was a special player in his life and in the life of Boston fans. He still is the last player to hit .400 in a season back in 1941. Arguably, the most impressive player to ever don a Boston Red Sox uniform.

After that, the game started. I watched with Wallace and the rest of the folks in the pressbox. By the fourth inning, I had to head to the media room. All-Star starters were being replaced on the field and they were being made available to the media. Former Mariner Randy Johnson was available so it was time to say my farewell to Mike Wallace. He was so gracious and I think he like the fact I knew who Bill Mombouquette was. He had pitched for Boston from 1958-65.

After the game I went back to the hotel and called Ace and Bette Callan again. I said to them, " guess who I ran into again???"